BAND ASSEMBLY SPECIAL SESSIONS

NEW BAND MEMBER LEAGAL SERVICEWS BOARD MEMBER

Stacy Thunder was sworn in as a new Band Member Legal Services Board Member by the Honorable Associate Chief Justice Rhonda Sam during a Band Assembly meeting on Wednesday, May 14, 2025.

By Valerie Harrington-Wind, Chief Communications Officer of the Legislative Branch

The Mille Lacs Band of Ojibwe’s Band Assembly has all vest ed legislative authority, or the law-making process, under the Mille Lacs Band Statute. Which means that the authority is legally or officially granted and is secured or guaranteed, not just temporary or hypothetical. The Secretary Treasurer is the leader of the Legislative Branch.

The Secretary Treasurer has the dual role as Speaker of the Assembly and presides over sessions of Band Assembly. The Band Assembly consists of the Speaker and the three District Representatives. The Band Assembly is currently in Special Session. Special Session is a term for Band Assembly meetings outside of the sessions outlined in Band Statute. There are four sessions of Band Assembly every two years with first and third sessions starting the second Tuesday of each calendar year, and the second and fourth sessions starting the second Tuesday in July. These sessions also coincide with election cycles within the Minnesota Chippewa Tribe Constitution. Calendar sessions end every April 30th and September 30th.

Most recently the Legislature has given more structure to the sessions by implementing Rules of Band Assembly that do not allow for Old Business to continue on the agenda after the end of each Session. This allows for changes in power when items on the agenda may be an initiative of a sitting member of the assembly who then may be replaced via the election cycle and not committing a new member to existing initiatives. The Special Sessions also recognize the dual roles of Dis trict Representatives as members of Band Assembly and as Representatives within their respective communities. Special Sessions allow for more direct community engagement while there are no scheduled meetings.

However, though there are no scheduled meetings, the Band Assembly remains responsive to the needs of the Execu tive and Judicial Branches by being open to schedule meetings as needed during the Special session period. By Legislative Order/Rules of the Assembly, the Parliamen tarian must receive requests for an item to be placed on the agenda by Friday, 10 a.m. of each week, thereby allowing for a timely publishing of the Agenda for the following week. The Speaker of the Assembly, under statute, can call a ses sion at any time.